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 Roots to Rap
Rahiel Tesfamariam
Columnist Page
Friday, October 29, 2004; Page 24
In the Spirit of Sankofa
Robert Ridley and I have the privilege of going out into the "trenches" on a weekly basis to interview people for The Washington Informer's Viewpoint section. A large part of this experience consists of Mr. Ridley, a staff photographer, offering his "you can show this to your grandchildren" speech in order to ease fear of having one's picture taken for a newspaper and me emphasizing that remarks can't be published without a full name, as initials and John Doe will not suffice.
It is often in these trips to "The Big Chair", Potomac Avenue, Eastern Market, Waterside Mall, Howard University and downtown D.C. that I am reminded of why I took on this "labor of love", as Denise Rolark Barnes calls it.
It is in the trenches that a young Black journalist/idealist is reminded that the whole of Black America is not “toiling in the fields” for the sake of the African diaspora. Not everyone is looking at the world with hopes of making it a better place- some folks are just living day by day and trying to make it for themselves and their families.
While many of us cannot refuse what the Creator has instilled in us from birth - a desire to leave an imprint on the face of the earth, perhaps one day more of us will transcend that and become true burden barriers.
When asked what is at stake in the presidential election and what will be her motivation for voting, an African American woman from Baltimore, said, “Nothing is going to take me to the polls this year because Bush is already in. The Republicans are already in. Kerry says that he’s a Democrat but, like always, once they get in, the story is always different. I’ll let the other people decide that at this time. See, I’ve voted in the past. It’s not like I never voted in the past; I voted in three presidential elections. If I had my way and I could bring President Kennedy back, he would be in office. If I had my way- but I don’t have my way. So, now, since I’m of the older generation, I’m going to leave it up to the younger generation (the up and coming younger generations) to do their part; I’ve done my part.”
What if Harriet Tubman, after escaping slavery in July of 1849, concluded that there was no need to return to the South to lead over 300 slaves to freedom? What if Sojourner Truth decided in 1851 that she did enough for women’s suffrage and didn’t need to ask the legendary question, "Ain't I a Woman?" at a women's convention in Akron, Ohio? What if Louis Farrakhan was so content with his work within the Nation of Islam that he never asked a million Black men to gather in the nation’s capital for a day of atonement? What if Denzel Washington stopped making movies after “Malcolm X” because he didn’t get his deserved Oscar? What if ever Black person alive today said that their ultimate goal in life was to stay out of trouble and make something “decent” of themselves?
Who would then keep the fire of the Civil Rights Movement from dying out?
The answer to all of these questions is embodied in the Sankofa bird. “A symbol of wisdom and learning from the past to build for the future”, Sankofa literally means “go back to fetch it,” according to the Adinkra Dictionary by Bruce Willis.
Sankofa is the symbol that will forever resonate with the Black global community. We will never get where we need to go in the times ahead if we don’t turn back to learn and nurture what came before us.
To put it simply, too many fights were fought, too many tears were cried, too many nights went sleepless and too much blood was shed for any Black person in America to feel that they have done their part and need not do more. Believe it or not, voting on November 2, 2004, is the LEAST you can do.
For Rahiel Tesfamariam send email to rahielt@washingtoninformer.com.
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